


Princess!Hyejoo

by hanadolphieron



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/F, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:28:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29086131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanadolphieron/pseuds/hanadolphieron
Summary: You meet a disguised princess and become entangled in a world of betrayal, love, and emotion.
Relationships: Son Hyejoo | Olivia Hye/Reader
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> reposting from my tumblr blog <3 more chapters will be added soon!

training to be a handmaiden was a highly respected field of education- at least to some. i mean, you didn’t mind it, you’ve never been one to feel resentful about waiting on others. in fact, you’re quite the opposite, and have issues with saying no, even if you don’t mean it when you say yes. 

but still, waiting on a royal’s hand and foot was not exactly ideal. it paid well and got you a spot in the kingdom’s gossip circle, but you’d much rather be off on some adventure, saving the world or something more exciting than sitting here, in heredia castle’s ballroom, learning how to sit properly. 

“y/n, are you listening?” your instructor breaks into your thoughts. you look at her. everyone else in the class has stood up, while you are still plopped on a stool, one ankle over the other, hands clasped in your lap. 

“yes,” you rush out, hurriedly righting yourself. 

she sighs, muttering about you “being off in your wonderland again.” 

still not focusing, you stare straight ahead at the tapestry-adorned wall in front of you. however, out of the corner of your eye, you watch the other girls. they’re doing the same routine as you, which consists of curtsies, a few dance steps, walking in the “correct” way, and other intricate moves used in formal situations. 

they’re dressed in flowing ball-gowns, all colors of the rainbow: crimson, emerald, magenta, royal blue, lavender, along with shiny leather heels. gems are clipped into their hair, sparkling in the light emitted by the candles along the walls. they look perfect, the definition of conventional beauty. 

your heart hurts knowing that some of the girls, the people that are your sisters, your family, will succumb to the grooming the handmaiden system puts them through. some will stop thinking for themselves, so stressed from the pressure of materialism and appearance that they begin to live only for others. 

and you can only pray you won’t reach that same fate. 

one of the handmaidens catches your eye. you don’t recall her being there before. she must be new. however, she seems to already know her way around court etiquette. interesting, considering most handmaidens come from poor families that have never stepped foot in a castle before. you make a note to keep an eye on her. 

something in her eyes feels off to you. you can’t explain it, but she doesn’t act like the other girls. there’s a certain nervousness, mixed with an heir of superiority almost, like she knows something everyone else doesn’t. 

the formation changes, and said handmaiden is now standing next to you. it’s your cue to step up to an imaginary suitor and accept an invitation to dance. 

it’s quite a unique sight, twenty girls dancing alone in an empty ballroom, the only noise is the sound of heels tapping against the floor and echoing against the marble walls. 

the familiar waltz plays in your head, even if you can’t hear it aloud. you’ve listened to it so many times, it’s as familiar as the voices in your mind. 

as you twirl and step, your eye glances to the suspicious handmaiden beside you. her skirt flies up a teensy bit as she whirls around, and you catch sight of something shiny against her leg. a knife, you realize. why would she carry one of those? it’s quite an aesthetic, you must say, one that you have coveted for the longest time, but have never gotten around to playing with. there’s never been a need for weaponry inside this castle. and besides, your role is to run squealing to the nearest guard and faint in their arms if danger ever comes your way. 

the dance ends swiftly, leaving you and the rest of your class panting slightly and fanning yourselves. it’s around 8:00 p.m., time for your evening repast. however, you opt to go to your room instead, in order to relax for a while and watch the night sky. 

walking out of the ballroom and turning to the left, you catch sight of someone’s shadow. it can’t be any of the girls, they unanimously decided to eat dinner in the hall. the logical side of your mind tells you it’s probably just a guard, not the suspicious dark figure your mystery-loving self wants to believe. however, you quiet your footsteps as you follow the silhouette down the hallway. 

you trail the person for quite a ways, down a couple corridors and through some turns. they’re making their way towards the edge of the castle, in the direction of the western gate. interesting, you think again. no one uses the western gate, it’s main purpose is as a backdoor that servants travel through in order to take out the trash and do other tasks. 

suddenly, you lose sight of the figure. quickening your pace to try to catch up with them again, you lightly jog down the last hallway you saw the shadow. it’s a dead end. no one’s there. 

however, taking your chances with accidentally alerting someone and looking like an absolute fool, you call out, “who are you? i know someone’s here.” 

the corridor remains silent for a couple moments, before you feel a presence a few feet behind you. 

“why did you follow me?” a feminine voice asks. 

turning around, you come face to face with the owner of the voice. they’re the girl from your class earlier, the one with the dagger strapped against her calf. hyejoo, if you recall what the teacher addressed her as. 

“i was wondering who you were. the only people around were the rest of the girls, and they’d decided to go to dinner.” 

hyejoo seems a little surprised at this, crossing her arms across her chest, although you don’t know what other kind of answer she was expecting. 

“looking for trouble?” she inquires. the intention of being intimidating was there, but the execution was a little too gentle. 

“maybe,” you respond, “but it seems not as much as you are. what are you doing down here?” 

“i was lost, that’s all. in fact, i’ll be heading back to my quarters right now,” hyejoo defends, avoiding eye contact and making to turn around and scramble like an egg. 

you don’t buy it. “why were you running then?” 

“running? i wasn’t...” hyejoo glances at you, seeing the expression on your face and realizing that she’s not going to fool you easily. 

“tell me what’s going on,” you say gently, “i’m not going to rat you out of or anything.” 

“i can’t tell you what i’m doing, all i need is some answers,” she looks pleadingly at you. 

“alright, ask away,” you say. you’ve hit the jackpot~ your think giddily to yourself, this is how storybooks start. 

hyejoo hesitates, before quietly inquiring, “where is the king’s office?” 

not what you were expecting, but you tell her, “the second right turn in the main corridor near the dining hall.” 

she nods. “and the queen’s?” 

“adjourning the king’s.” 

her eyes glaze over slightly, she’s thinking about something. you don’t question her, knowing she doesn’t really want to be interrogated right now. however, your mind is still itching for more information. 

“is there a secret way to get there?” 

“yes,” you respond slowly, “but if you want me to tell you, i need to know why first.” 

sighing under her breath and tensing up, hyejoo is silent for a while. “can i trust you?” she finally asks. you reassure her that you won’t pass up an adventure like this, to which she seems to relax a little. 

somehow feeling guilty about making you do something risky like this, hyejoo makes you confirm your agreement, “yes, hyejoo, i do want to do this. besides, we’re handmaidens- we get caught and all we have to is play dumb. they’ll accept our excuses without batting an eye. it’ll be a piece of cake.” 

she nods solemnly, a slight smile dawning on her face. “meet you at your rooms tomorrow evening?”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter?

based on what you’d observed of hyejoo (which wasn’t much,) you’d decided that she seemed like a punctual person. that’s why you were getting ready so early. 

or at least, that’s what you were telling yourself. 

it wasn’t because she had pretty eyes hidden by thick eyelashes that seemed to flutter every time she blinked, or because she acted like a secretive spy character out of a fairytale (the type of character you always fall for) 

no, none of that. you just wanted to be prepared when she dropped by your rooms in order to go find the secret route to the king’s office together. 

soon, there came a soft rapping on your door, which you rushed to and opened, inviting hyejoo in. she didn’t seem too keen on staying for a while, eager to explore this secret route you’d spoken of. you felt the same way and the two of you headed off down the hallway silently. 

“so, hyejoo, if you don’t mind telling me, why-” 

“shh!” hyejoo cuts off your attempt at conversation, hissing at you, “we have to be quiet.” 

“hyejoo,” your voice dropping to a whisper, “we’ll look much less suspicious if we’re not crouching low to the ground while speaking in low tones.” 

“we’ll also look much less suspicious if you don’t ask me why i’m doing this,” she gives you a pointed look. 

“you didn’t even know what i was going to ask you, you unruly eggshell,” you retort grumpily. 

“really? what were you going to ask me then?” she questions, already knowing the answer. 

you sigh. she does to. “i don’t blame you for wanting to know why i’m doing this,” hyejoo says gently. 

“as you should!” your voice raises a little. 

hyejoo studies your face, “we’re at a corridor. where do we go next?” 

“good pivot,” you respond, referring to her not so subtle change of conversation, “left.” 

leading the way, the two of you stroll inconspicuously through the halls of the castle. hyejoo seems to have mastered the art of moving quietly- her feet make no noise as they pad along the ground. “do you still have that dagger strapped against your calf?” you question. 

“what?” her feet stumble as she whips her head to look at you. 

“do you still-” you begin again. 

“how’d you know?” 

“you do have it strapped against your calf hyejoo, and i’m sure you’re aware at this point how flimsy our handmaiden dresses are. there’s not a chance that it would go completely unnoticed.” 

she studies you. she seems to do that a lot, you note. 

grabbing her and pulling her down another corridor, you don’t give her a chance to respond to your accusation. a guard had just turned down the hallway- one that you knew from experience would never shut up once he started talking. 

“who was that!?” hyejoo hisses. 

“someone i don’t feel like talking to.” she rolls her eyes, “now could you please answer my question?” 

“it’s on my thigh now, not my calf” she responds curtly. 

“do you know how to use it?” 

“no, i keep a useless weapon attached to my leg for no reason at all.” 

you glare at her sarcasm, “alright, that was a stupid question. i was hoping you’d answer with a story about how you learned to use it rather than a yes or a no.” 

hyejoo studies you again as you turn to the right, starting up a flight of stairs. “would you quit doing that? i can’t read you like i do other people.” 

she pauses and studies you the same way once again, this time a smile quirking up her lips, a mischievous glint in her eyes. 

scoffing, you grasp her hand lightly as you drag your fellow handmaiden up the stairs. “it’s a dead end,” hyejoo states aloud, staring at the wall in front of the two of you. 

“not if you go up,” you say, pushing the ceiling above you, revealing it as a trapdoor. 

gaping slightly, hyejoo asks, “how’d you know this was here?” 

“i may have done some exploring myself,” you smile, jumping up into the miniscule expanse above the door. hyejoo follows, brushing against you as she does. 

a small ray of light emits from a rectangle shaped hole in the siding of the room. it comes from the king’s study. 

“is that...” hyejoo begins. 

“yes, that’s where the king works.” 

“i can’t see much,” she says, frowning. 

“yes, well, it’s 11 o’clock at night and the space you’re looking through isn’t big enough for a mouse. i used it to listen the last time i was up here.” 

she sits back from her crouched position on the floor and squints at you in the dark. “why were you listening in on whatever the king was talking about?” 

“no reason,” you say, shrugging, “you seem surprised at the amount of trouble i get up to. did you really think i was as shy as i make people believe?” 

her eyes bore into yours. “no,” she says hesitantly, “i just didn’t realize people from your kingdom were all too interested in royal affairs other than the newest marriage or child.” 

you raise your eyebrows at this and open your mouth to question her, but before you can, she asks, “what do you mean, ‘make people believe?’ do you have a reason to put a mask on your personality?” 

“of course not,” you reassure her, feeling the breath from her lips in this enclosed space, “i just prefer to only show inner self to people who are interested in it. you’ll find i’m much different in private than i am in public,” you say. 

her eyes glow suspiciously, a smirk appearing on her lips. “in private? interesting...” 

“no, no wait, not that,” you laugh nervously. 

“you’ll find my private persona contrasts to my public one as well,” hyejoo’s voice changes to a darker, yet hesitant tone. she seems to be waiting for your reaction. 

you don’t really have a reaction. well, you do, you’re completely and utterly stunned. you’re not used to attractive women flirting with you in dusty, confined spaces. your mouth hangs open and you just. stare. 

your mind turns back on again, and you splutter out, “how, how nice.” 

hyejoo audibly sighs at this, looking slightly hurt. she takes a hand away from your chin. you hadn’t even realized it, but she had been holding you in place, making you look into her eyes. the thought sent tremors through your body. 

you speak without thinking about it, remembering something, “what did you mean by ‘people from your kingdom’? aren’t you from here too?” 

eyes wide, it’s hyejoo’s turn to be at a loss for words. she takes a deep breath before explain it to you- 

“listen, y/n, i’m only telling you this because i know i can trust you. don’t ask me how or why, but i just know. i’m not from this kingdom, as you realized. i’m from aurileo, the eastern kingdom.” 

“aurileo,” you mouth quietly, “why are you here then?” 

“shh,” she says, bringing a finger to your lips, “just listen. i’m not here to become a handmaiden. i’m here to spy.” 

to hyejoo’s shock, your eyes light up in glee at this. “a spy? really?” she nods. 

“what’s your mission then?” 

“my mother sent me here. i’m to learn the ways of heredian royalty, so that when i take the throne, i can destroy it from the inside out.”


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the third chapter wooowweeee

sighing quietly to yourself, you watch the paintings flow by along the walls as you stroll through the castle. (you’ve been doing quite a lot of wandering through the halls lately.) 

you’re off to find hyejoo, who left a note at your door saying she’d meet you in the back corner of the library at 8:00 a.m. sharp. 

see, after she’d confessed to you that she was heir to the throne of aurileo, a neighboring kingdom, hyejoo had immediately launched into a spiel of reasons for why she was doing this. she’s in cohorts with heredia’s heir, her cousin, kang yeosang, who wants to become king of heredia. 

see, as she explained to you, aurileo would be able to have a greater influence upon heredia. the two nations had been warring for years over land, money, and power. hyejoo seemed to think prince yeosang could stop this. 

you didn’t believe her in the slightest. over your years in serving royalty, you’ve learned to never trust princes. especially the handsome ones who manipulate you into thinking they can save the world. 

also, the aurileo’s princess hasn’t even told you how her cousin is going to accomplish this. you can’t think of any way to get rid of the king- unless she was planning on outright murdering him. you didn’t think she had the guts to do that. 

in any other situation, you would have backed out by now. done the right thing, told the royal family, gotten the conspirators arrested. however, right now, doing that would mean condemning hyejoo, something you didn’t have the willpower to do. 

she had you wrapped around her finger. you barely knew her, and yet she seemed to draw you in like a moth to a lamp. you could tell she needed someone, all she’d ever had in her life were power-hungry royals. 

and you couldn’t stand to see her become. so, you had taken it upon yourself to try and fix her mindset. you wouldn’t let her become part of a game like this. 

“hey,” said royal schemer calls out to you softly. you make your way over to her position near one of the bookshelves, smiling at a guard, jungeun, who was nearby. 

before you can say hello back, hyejoo motions for you to follow her. you almost roll your eyes at her hyper-focusing. 

she brings you to one of the libraries private rooms and sits down at one end of a short table. you take a seat opposite her. 

“we have a lot to discuss,” she states. 

“really?” you say, “it’s not like you’re scheming against the ruling power of this entire continent or anything.” 

“are you mad at me?” is all she responds with. insufferable. 

“confused and a little worried, yes. but mad, no.” 

“good. you’re going to be the main part of this plan and i need complete devotion from you.” 

you stand there shocked, before asking what in the world she means by “main part of this plan.” hyejoo begins to explain to you... 

at the next banquet, the two of you will be dressed in your handmaiden clothes, serving food and helping out. once the meal has ended and the guests are standing around chatting, you will quietly tell king hiron of heredia he has urgent news to receive in private. 

then, you’ll walk him out into the courtyard. where hyejoo will be waiting. 

“waiting to do what?” you ask suspiciously. please don’t say what i think you’re going to say. 

she sighs, placing her hands on your cheeks, staring at you, “y/n, you’re not going to like this part. i’m going to have to kill king hiron.” 

eyes wide, you hold her gaze, shaking your head against her hold on you, “hyejoo, you can’t. you- i won’t let you, it’s not right.” 

her eyes moisten, a fearful, guilty look fogging them. she doesn’t want to do this, and both of you know it. “hyejoo, who’s making you do this? who came up with this plan?” 

“yeosang,” she says quietly, “he says it’s the only way.” 

you refuse this, trying to reason with her. yeosang should do it himself, you’re going to get in trouble, nobody should be forced to take a life, let alone have their life taken from them. 

hyejoo looks unbearably sad. you move to comfort her, standing up and wrapping your arms around her, holding her against you. she stays there, silently, for a moment, before pushing you away. 

surprised, your arms fall to your sides. you thought you had a moment there. “y/n, you don’t understand. i have to do this. yeosang is right, there is no other way. i’m brave enough. i can do it.” 

the princess turns away, not being able to meet your gaze. 

“hyejoo, no, it’s not right. think about what you’re doing,” you plead with her, trying to keep her from walking out the door. 

“i have thought about it y/n, and i know this is the only choice,” she looks almost as resentful as you do. you can see it in her gullible, determined expression- she’s being manipulated into this. 

“the right choice for you?” you place your hands on her shoulders, “ or the right choice for yeosang?” 

anger bubbles across her face. she pushes your arm off of her, storming to the door, sparing one last look at your helpless figure before pacing out of the library and into the hall.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> finally some good fluff

seated at the dining table, you hold in a sigh. even after seven months, you’re still practicing table manners. your instructor strolls around the room, eyeing everyone’s sitting positions and facial expressions.

hyejoo, of course, was assigned to sit opposite you. the two of you hadn’t spoken to each other since the little fiasco in the library. which must have been greatly upsetting for her, you must admit. if someone in on your treasonous murder scheme was angry with you, you can’t say you’d feel relaxed either.

you wish you weren’t so nice sometimes. of course you’d managed to fall in love with a spy and accidentally become too attached to report them to the king. maybe this was why all spies were so attractive. they couldn’t get away with these things without it.

continuing to avoid eye contact, you smile softly at one of your friends, who you’d nicknamed chuu, sitting near you. it was teatime, therefore only two handmaidens were at each table.

your instructor’s heels click across the floor as she places a teapot near hyejoo. slowly, the disguised princess lifts it up and pours it into your cup. these months of training have instilled serious habits into you, and you can’t help but look hyejoo in the eyes as you say, “thank you.”

she smirks out a “you’re welcome.” by force of habit you were forced to give into the consistent staring she was putting you through the entire time you were avoiding her.

beginning the small talk as you munch on biscuits, hyejoo asks, “how have you been lately?” a knowing, innocent smile on her face.

returning the icy sweetness, you respond, “oh, i’m well, thank you. relaxed as always; the castle’s been exceptionally quiet lately.”

“no adventure, i see?”

you fake smile turns into a real one at this, you know exactly what she’s getting at. “none at all. how about you?”

hyejoo pauses, contemplating something, before saying, a familiar twinkle in her eye, “oh, the normal,” you nod at this, “scheming a murder, practicing knife throwing-”

“hyejoo!” your voice is a loud whisper as you scold her, “people will hear! what are you thinking?”

you don’t mean your words at all, and hyejoo knows it. she watches as the force you exerted trying to keep her quiet causes you to choke on your biscuit, itchy crumbs flying down your throat.

attempting to right yourself, you chug the entire cup of tea. the instructor passes as you do this. “miss y/n! what in the world are you doing? i am appalled, i was sure you’d have learned by now it is never acceptable to down your drink in such an unladylike way!”

hyejoo, albeit having had a large part in this, feels bad. “it was my fault, ma’am, i told a joke and accidentally made her swallow her biscuit prematurely. i apologize.”

your instructor huffs at this. you turn back to hyejoo incredulously, smiling wider than you have in a long time.

* * *

after waiting a long six hours for the dinner party, you stand near the dessert tables at munch on a plate of strawberries and cream. technically, none of the handmaidens were allowed any sort of sweets except when offered one by royalty, but you’d all perfected the art of fitting in, which gave you an ability to snatch some sugary pastries and stand in the corner eating without attracting any attention.

a familiar figure subtlety moves behind you. “guess who?” comes their voice.

“hello there, hyejoo,” you respond, turning around to speak to her.

“want to get out of here?” she asks, munching on a slice of chocolate cake.

“how?” you ask. hyejoo says nothing and leads you over to the balcony. “we scale it.”

“are you kidding? i’m in a dress and high heels,” you’re appalled at this suggestion as you stare down at the looming walls of ivy under the terrace.

“of course i’m kidding,” she laughs, “i’ve done it many a time, but i must say i’m not sure you could do it.”

“rude,” you mutter under your breath. 

there seems to have been a unanimous decision to not speak of hyejoo’s scheme. at least not today. today, you’re apparently going to walk out of the party casually and run around in the garden, according to hyejoo.

you honestly don’t know how she’s a spy when she makes such atrocious plans. seriously.

however, despite her seemingly very fallible strategy, you make it out without catching the eye of any drunken guards shuffling around their posts. 

you can’t help but be in awe of her beauty. even if you’re supposed to be working on disliking her enough to break off the friendship and report her plans to the king. however, you’re stuck hoping there’s more than just a friendship between the two of you.

anyways, back to your crush on hyejoo- you’ve been studying her for a while now. in class, when you’ve been able to watch how she walks and what she does when put on the spot. at the trapdoor room, you saw how her eyes reflected the little light in the room, creating an illusion of stars.

and now, as she’s prancing beside you, dress swishing, shoulders back, crown of black hair adorning her head, you can’t help but feel butterflies.

* * *

“tag! you’re it!” hyejoo yells as she reaches across the bench and smacks your arm. you jump up, hiking your skirts, and race after her. your heels had been thrown into the grass the second you and hyejoo had made it into the garden half an hour ago, and you’re glad they’re not there to adhere you.

because hyejoo is fast. scampering across the lawn only illuminated by the new moon, you can tell she’s been trained in this. the thought makes both your adrenaline and lovie nerves (don’t question my writing) go wild. 

maybe you’d be able to keep up if you weren’t giggling so much, but you just can’t help it.

lungs gasping for breath, you collapse onto the ground. hyejoo hears the sound of your footsteps stop and lopes back over to you.

you see her silhouette approach as you lie on your back. as she gets closer, you see her size up your position. cackling, she jumps in the air, about to flop on your chest.

you voice your objection to being smushed, but hyejoo doesn’t listen. she crashes onto you, pinning you to the ground.

attempting to push her off, you shove her onto the ground beside you. not having this kind of failure, aurileo’s heir takes you with her. the two of you start to roll down the hill you’d been running on: spinning downwards, hair in faces, laughter filling ears, perspired arms clinging onto each other.

throughout the tumble, you managed to rip the side of dress. you can’t seem to take anything seriously at the moment, and don’t care about the gaping hole on your thigh that will surely get you into trouble, but hyejoo does.

grabbing her knife out of nowhere she claims, “i can stitch it up.”

“with what? you haven’t got any string,” you say, breathless.

“well...” she hadn’t thought about that. “we’ll make it pretty then!”

“oh noooo,” you despair, but make no move to stop her as she holds your leg and cuts the fabric into a design.

“you’re making it worse!” you exclaim, trying to push her off.

“don’t insult me! i have a knife against your leg,” she chides, pinning down the arm that you tried to shove her with. “there, done.”

hyejoo was surprisingly good at cutting pretty designs into dresses, and it came out looking like a five-petaled flower. “wow, it actually looks alright,” you tell her.

she settles down on the ground beside you. “i can’t believe you ever doubted me.”

you scoff at that, before sighing “i wish it was always like this between us.”

quietly, a “me too” leaves hyejoo’s mouth.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU'RE SENSITIVE TO MURDER, ANGRY MEN, OR KNIVES! this one is a big angst. the next chapter will be wholesome fluffiness don't worry.

the book you were reading lightly flops onto the bed as you stand up, moving towards the door. a knock had sounded. your mind was still in reading mode, and you don’t have the slightest idea who would be calling at half-past midnight.

rubbing your eyes, you swing open the door. surprise, surprise, hyejoo is standing there.

“you look tired. were you asleep?” her expression is caring as she sees your exhausted state. 

“no, just reading,” you say, yawning. stepping into the room, hyejoo firmly leads you back to the bed. you sit down on the edge and look up at her. “what are you here for? it’s late.”

averting eye contact, the princess sighs. “we both know there’s something we need to discuss.”

you protest, “no, please not now. i don’t want to go to sleep thinking about it.”

she frowns at your pouting, reaching out to cup your cheeks. “i’m sorry. i’ll, come back tomorrow.” turning away, she makes for the door. 

not having her feel rejected, you catch her sleeve and bring her gaze back to you. “please stay.”

the candlelight from your bedside table illuminates only half of her face, and you can’t see her expression as she suddenly leans down and presses her lips against yours, a gentle taste of sunrises and tulips. caught by surprise, you don’t return the kiss. sensing your hesitation, hyejoo pulls back, stuttering, “i- i shouldn’t have done that. i’m sorry. i’ll be going now.”

pushing yourself onto your legs, you stop her exit once again. reciprocating her nervous fervor, you cup the back of neck and pull her into you. she’s not prepared for the kiss this time, but it lasts longer, burning in all the wrong ways.

shaking her head, hyejoo pushes you away, breathless, “we can’t, we can’t do this. not until we figure it out.”

“i’ll do it, hyejoo. for you,” you promise to her, looking into her soulful eyes, hoping she doesn’t see the lies in yours.

* * *

“your highness, i apologize for the interruption, but i have urgent news for you. please come with me,” you try to hide the shake in your voice as you order to the king to follow you to what potentially could be his death.

that is, if your plan doesn’t work. if it does, king hiron will be safe and sound. but if it doesn’t...

“excuse me, your majesty,” juts in a nearby guard. “but i can’t let you go alone.” you protest this, saying this news is private, and he must come now, but the guard persists.

“jongho, i will be fine,” king hiron says as he places a hand on the guard’s shoulder. jongho nods and returns to his post.

you guide the king towards the maze of overhangs around the courtyard. luckily, no one is there. precisely why hyejoo chose it. however, you catch sight of the guard lingering at the entrance to the courtyard. 

“wait here,” you excuse yourself and wander back to jongho. “did you see that? it looks like one of my fellow handmaidens, chuu, is trying to escape the ball with one of your friends. yunho, by the looks of it. you may want to go stop her.”

jongho’s eyes widen as he hurries over in the direction you motioned towards. 

“where and what is this urgent news?” heredia’s ruler asks, now suspicious. before you can come up with an answer, a figure flashes in the corner of your eye.

hyejoo’s here, and coming in fast. pain and terror slices through your mind like a swooping hawk as you see a knife poised in her hand. she dashes towards the small of the king’s back

before her weapon can reach it’s intended target, you shove the king forward. life seems to flash before your eyes as the knife pierces your skin instead. memories of the future crash into your thoughts. you can’t feel anything, but it’s overwhelming anyways.

the king falls to the ground. a horizontal sting pulses along your shoulder blades. hyejoo gasps. you don’t turn to look at her, opening your mouth to say something, but she speaks first. 

“y/n, what have you done?” with a trembling voice, hyejoo falls to her knees. “yeosang is going to kill me.”

“you’re right about that,” comes a clear voice to the left of you. you and hyejoo both turn to him. king hiron stays still, seemingly unconscious from his fall. kings never seem to last long in strenuous circumstances. 

the person speaking is someone you don’t recognize. the princess does, however, breathing out a “yeosang.” a wave of anger washes over you. king yeosang, the one who’s tortured hyejoo into making choices no one should have to make, is standing right in front of you, unarmed.

a small part of your conscience tells you to attack him. avenge all the hurt you’ve seen hyejoo go through. but you don’t. instead, you’re silent, pleading inside your mind for hyejoo to run, and get away from this horrible, horrible man.

stock still, muscles tense, hyejoo juts her chin out. “it’s not my fault.”

before yeosang can launch into what you expect to be a deadly scolding, the guard from before, choi jongho yells out a sharp demand from the doorway, “what’s going on here?” rushing towards the king.

you panic, suddenly deer in headlights. aurileo’s heir is roughly grabbed and dragged towards one of the overhangs. yeosang takes her out of sight before jongho had a chance to see who they were.

luckily, jongho blindly trusts you and apparently doesn’t realize you had a major part in this situation. he bypasses you, picking up the king and asking you what happened. “i- he fell and tripped. i was about to call for help.”

you curse yourself for still not exposing the true perpetrators of this injury, but jongho believes you and carries the king into a spare room after making sure you were alright.

the sound of soft crying and harsh voices draws your attention to where hyejoo and yeosang are standing. hyejoo’s cousin is shaking her, angrily reprimanding her actions. her actions that were your fault.

hurriedly making your way over to her, about to make right at least one part of this whole disaster, you’re stopped by hyejoo shaking her head slightly, catching your eye as she does so. yeosang doesn’t see, his back is turned to you.

you don’t listen to her this time, striding towards the piercing menace in front of you. mustering up all the resentment in your system, you kick yeosang’s left achilles tendon, sending him sprawling onto the ground in pain, spots dancing in his vision.

gently grasping your princess’s hand, you pull her away from him, sitting down onto the grass. she tries to apologize, feverishly attempting to check your back and make sure you’re okay, but you don’t let her, pressing your lips against hers before she can utter a word.

she gives in for once, her determination faltering as she melts into you, finally safe. you stay there, in the comfort of each other’s arms, the warm evening closing around you, until the sound of carriages being boarded outside the castle gates warns you it’s time to leave, and go back to the life you know may still be slipping away.


	6. Chapter Six!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> final chapterrrrre eeeee

hyejoo’s body language is tense, you notice out of the corner of your eye. she’s sitting on the other side of the court room, watching her mother, queen morsil, defend herself and aurileo.

“we had nothing to do with this brash, traitorous plan!” she exclaims, waving her hands in the air to emphasize her words.

despite hyejoo’s slight objections to exposing kang yeosang for his crimes, you had told heredia’s court all about the plan to assassinator king hiron. 

of course, you did gloss over a few minor details regarding you and the princess, like sneaking into a room above the king’s office or you actually being serious about the scheme for a while. 

all to protect your now proclaimed girlfriend, who was extremely grumpy at being seated across the floor from you. “it’s too far away,” she had groaned, “i don’t want to lose sight of you again.”

queen morsil ends her spiel. king hiron stands up, addressing the room. “heredia will not declare war on aurileo. this assassination attempt was a scheme by a mere teenager. it is nothing to fear. i am still alive, as you can see.”

a small flurry of chuckles erupts in the cloud at the king’s boomer humor. he continues, “thanks to y/n l/n’s brave actions, of course. she shall be rewarded for her courage. however, i regret to acclaim that son hyejoo, aurileo’s heir will not be allowed within heredia’s gates again.”

a gasp erupts from you throat. in the future, negotiations between aurileo and heredia would be taxing on both nations due to hyejoo, the to-be-queen, would not be allowed in. 

and not to mention, you were expecting to (hopefully) spend the rest of your life with hyejoo. now, the king is trying to tell you that it won’t be possible to even live in the same country.

the meeting ends in a blur as you process the news. someone stops to talk to you and you miss the moment hyejoo leaves, she seemed to be in a rush. just as well, a goodbye might make things worse.

however, you wanted to see her at least once before she left. and perhaps you could convince her to do something for you…

* * *

the gates are closing as you sprint through them, long skirts scrunched up in your hand. this is a storybook-worthy moment, you think to yourself, chasing after your lover’s carriage as she goes into exile from your homeland.

“son hyejoo!” you call out. no familiar head peeks out of the carriage door like you expect. you keep trying, wailing after her. “come back!”

a flurry of movement bounces the transport. your lover’s figure leaps out of the carriage, landing on her feet like a cat. the gravel road crunches under you feet as you bound towards the princess. 

the horses slow to a stop, seemingly worried that their passenger has made a quick exit and is now running back to hereida.

“y/n!” she exclaims. “i thought i wasn’t going to get a chance to see you!”

“did you? or did you just want the pride of knowing i would run after you?” she shrugs at this, scooping you up bridal style and spinning you around, chuckling at your wide eyes.

“what are you doing!” you shriek, clinging onto her for dear life. “put me down!” 

she obeys, letting you back onto your own two feet. before you can regain your balance, hyejoo pulls you into a sweeping kiss, holding you tightly.

“we should run away together,” you whisper against her lips, eyes still closed. 

she hums in agreement, “where?”

“we’ll find a place. i’m sure you know a few.sneak me into the carriage. we can travel to aurileo and build a cottage in the forest. no one will ever find us, we can live alone, save for ourselves and the wildlife.”

“sounds great,” hyejoo says, pressing another quick smooch onto your cheek before dragging you into the back of the carriage. “let’s go, darling.”


End file.
